THEME : MARITIME TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH

PAST Project: SmartCam (Computational Photometer)

Project Description:
The goal of the SmartCam project is to construct a visible two channel (visible + long wave infrared with a Light Detecting and Ranging (LIDAR)-option camera. Unlike traditional cameras that either stream live video for remote analysis or simply store data for post analysis, the SmartCam system can perform image processing on the camera itself in real time.

This smarter multi-spectral “Go-Pro Like” instrument has the potential for many application areas including safety, security, and resource monitoring. It could be dropped in place or deployed on UAVs or other vessels while consuming a relatively low amount of power. Computation is performed efficiently using General-purpose Graphics Processing Unit (GP-GPU), Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or Digital Signal Processor (DSP) co-processing. In Y1 we constructed a proof-of-concept system using off-the-shelf hardware components. Next steps are to develop power efficient solutions for remote environments, mapping and detection of soil moisture, vegetation, and animal life from a UAV, field tests with military students to see if they can evade detection in a semi-wilderness setting with animal life, and vessel tracking.